Miley Cyrus Covers Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’

Miley Cyrus, daughter of country singer Billy Ray, offered up her loyal, respectful and soulful cover of Dolly Parton‘s hit ‘Jolene,’ penned in 1973, in her ‘Backyard Sessions’ series. The song was written 19 years before Cyrus was even born, but she does a terrific job with it. Did you know that Parton is Cyrus’ godmother? True story!

The performance was captured sometime this year, possibly in the summer. Cyrus’ hair is piled atop her head in a knot, and she famously chopped off her long locks in August so do the math.

Cyrus, who shot to fame as Hannah Montana, has a belter’s voice. This version, featuring the singer/actress cradling an old-fashioned mic and surrounded by several talented players, would certainly earn another round of kudos and praise from Parton.

Actually, the ladies have performed the song together in the past, but when solo, Cyrus turns in a smoky, husky and emotionally resonant version. She really makes it her own. If you were not super familiar with Miley, or simply weren’t a fan, this performance could turn the tide of opinion for you.

It’s got the perfect amount of twang with hardly any of the popness Cyrus is known for.

Nice job, girl.

It’s also another example of Parton’s songs translating beautifully by pop singers. Remember, ‘I Will Always Love You’ was a mega smash that got a second life in the 1990s thanks to the late Whitney Houston‘s version for ‘The Bodyguard.’

Welcome back to 98.1 - Minnesota's New Country

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on . To keep your points and personal information safe, we need to verify that it's really you. To activate your account, please confirm your password. When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your points, prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

Welcome back to 98.1 - Minnesota's New Country

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing VIP profile. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://minnesotasnewcountry.com using your original account information.